17 July, 2017

Forced Expulsion and Other Happenings

Bear with me through this post, it has lots of photos and a weekend update too. This was my the state of my sewing room on Friday. Being banished from the studio has resulted in a change of pace and tidier, better organized spaces in other parts of the house; not necessarily a bad thing! I have to admit, just looking at the plastic drapes, floor cloths and chaos in my favorite room gives me a case of the jitters. But, the face lift will be worth it. Freshly painted wall surfaces, ceiling and trim will revitalize the appearance of the room and recharge my creative energy when I return.

At least that's what I keep telling myself.

So, late last week I tackled dresser drawers and my closet. The closet was a MAJOR undertaking. It was in dire need of cleaning out and organizing! I did not take a before photo. Trust me, it was bad. I organized from the top down. Shelves first, and then hanging items. At long last all of the wire coat hangers (how do the multiply exponentially?) are gone, replaced by cleaner and quieter plastic hangers.

I used the one year rule for identifying items to be donated. Some items had taken up valuable closet space for ten to fifteen times that! Of course, keepsake items have been retained. But, even with those were carefully scrutinized first. I was ruthless.

This was the final result. I thought I was done. Neat, tidy, organized. I felt like my clothes could breathe again, I know I was breathing easier having this task behind me, it had weighed me down for a very long time. Speaking of weight though, if only those closet rods could talk!

The donation bags ready to go. You can't tell relative scale here, these are 42 gallon bags. I "borrowed" the bags from my husband's workshop. They are "contractor grade" plastic, 3 mil thick, they're very strong and sturdy. It's a good thing because I filled them and they were HEAVY. I am thankful now that those closet rods never buckled, in all truthfulness they've had the largest load lifted from them. Wow.

About the time I was finishing up the closet I received a desperate phone call from our daughter. She needed some help with Lucy Ann, our son-in-law was traveling and she and Mason were on their way to the hospital, he was in need of an emergency appendectomy! As luck would have it, our son was in the car at the time, near the Capital City. Uncle Kyle to the rescue. He picked her up and brought her to us.

Here's Mason after his successful surgery. It was a textbook procedure and he was on his way home (yes, HOME!) two hours later. His Daddy arrived back in town just before Mason went into surgery. The surgery, performed laparoscopically, plus an otherwise healthy young boy combined to make this procedure, in essence, one of out-patient status. This seems almost unbelievable to me. Twenty six years ago his own mother was in the hospital for three days when she had the same surgery; and she didn't get souvenir photos of her procedure to bring home! Mason not only has photos but stories to share too!

Meanwhile, back at Chez Goodneedle, little Miss Lucy Ann had a fun sleepover with Nana and Paw Paw and staged a perfectly wonderful fashion show on Saturday, modeling her mother's old prom dresses! These sparkly sequined dresses, a pair of rhinestone-studded sandals and her imagination were all she needed for a great morning of dress-up fun. We returned her to her family later in the day, she was eager to get home and check on her big brother.

Yesterday after church I showed off my now clean closet to my son and daughter-in-law. (Yes, I lead a very exciting life!) My daughter-in-law, after complimenting me on getting rid of all those horrible wire coat hangers, graciously informed me that I was using the wrong style hangers for my slacks. She pointed out how this style (above) has the vertical posts to stabilize them for the weight of slacks on the bottom bar. I had no idea! A few substitutions were easily made and I was in complete plastic coat hanger compliance! Am I the only one who didn't know this?

All is well.

And back in the Capital City: Legos and a lap tray. Let the healing begin.

13 comments:

fantastic progress! it does feel so good to tackle and complete organization projects....i had my appendix out emergently at age 5, way back in 1954....in hospital for a WEEK, home in bed for 2 weeks, which never happened of course...the day after surgery i was up on my knees in bed and the doctor was horrified...i still remember the ether cap, the blue walls in the OR, and lying very still to have sutures clipped and removed...how times have changed!

You do lead an exciting life, you know! Good to know all is well on all fronts, and I must admit I do envy you a bit on the size of that wonderful sewing room of yours! It will be fabulous with the new paint, etc.!

wow you have had a couple busy days made you forget you couldn't use your sewing room! Wow the progress on your closet. Iv'e always thought the pics of messes are for insurance claims/ I did not know that about hangers either. So glad gs is recovering with legos

Medical procedures have changed SO much!! Glad the logistics sorked out so well. And we recently went through the ruthless closet overhaul process here, too -- open space feels so good. Congrats to you for conquering a dreaded task. Hangers? Who knew?!?!

I'm glad your grandson is recovering well from his unexpected appendectomy. And Lucy Ann looks adorable in her mommy's dresses. Your closet is incredible. The first thing I noticed was several white and cream colored tanks. I don't know why I only buy one, when they are so versatile. I will start picking up more of those from now on! I hope things get put back in order for you soon! Oh and no, I had no idea about the clothes hangers either!

Oh my gosh - I'm totally non-compliant! It's time to clean out the closet again, so I'll try to do better. Glad to hear your GS is doing well, and GD have a fun time. Look out when you get back in the sewing room!!

Your closet looks great! Now that you have had some practice, you can come organize my house! Glad your grandson's surgery went well. When my daughter had an appendectomy, she spent the night at the hospital, but she was ready to go back to school in just a couple of days, which really surprised me, as it had taken me 7 weeks to recover from my surgery!

I didn't know that about the hangers. I have been doing the same in areas of my house (decluttering, deep cleaning, organizing), so my life is as exciting as yours!

I think my sewing room would fit in your closet! LOLIt does feel good to get organized, and you have done a beautiful job. I have only known about the slacks hangers for a couple of years.Lucy Ann looks very pleased to be modeling her Mom's old gowns--what fun dress-up!No one in my family has had their appendix out, so I have no clue how long they usually stay. But out-patient status does surprise me. Glad he is doing so well.Can't wait to see the newly refurbished sewing studio!

O.k. so I thought my sewing room was huge, but yours is beyond what I have! So I have to ask what color you painted it? We have been painting the finished basement and I'm trying to decide on a color that won't through off different hints on fabric. I think I've chosen Swiss White. Just curious since you are a fantastic quilter. So glad your grandson came through his surgery well and was home so quickly. You granddaughter looked adorable in her mom's prom dresses(I would have been tempted to send them home with her). I love the organization of your closet-great job. Hope you have a fantastic evening.Hugs,Noreen